Paying for support at home

Contributing to the cost of services within a personalised system

As part of the self directed support process and to accommodate the introduction of personal budgets, Plymouth City Council is changing the way it assesses a service users’ contribution towards the cost of non residential care from 4 July 2011.

Below are some details of the changes which may affect you:

• We will no longer include disability benefits when we calculate how much a service user will have to contribute towards the cost of their care. The following benefits will no longer be taken into consideration when assessing your charge:
  • Disability Living Allowance (Care and Mobility)
  • Attendance Allowance
  • Constant Attendance Allowance
  • Extra Severe Disability Allowance
  • Severe Disablement Premium of Income Support
• You will not have to tell us about the disability related expenses you have because these expenses will no longer be taken into consideration when we calculate your contribution.
• We currently subsidise the cost of day care and home care. From 4 July 2011 these subsidies will end and the contributions you make will reflect the actual cost of the service.
• We do not currently charge anyone more than £270 per week towards the cost of their care. The new policy means that if you are assessed as able to afford it, you will be required to pay the full cost of your care even if this exceeds £270 per week.
• Your contribution will be for the lower of either:
  • the maximum amount you have been assessed as being able to afford to pay
  • the full amount of your personal budget
• If you own capital (bank accounts/investments/property) other than the house you live in with a value of £23,250 or more as of April 2011 you will be required to pay the full amount of your personal budget.
• If you receive all or part of your personal budget through a direct payment we will deduct your contribution before we pay this into your account.
• Future invoices will no longer show details of the hours or days of services you receive.

Further information about self-directed support and personal budgets is available on our Putting people first in Plymouth pages.

Support at home [1MB]

Fairer contributions policy [132KB]

What are the changes? [80KB]

Department of health guidance [72KB]

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